Improvement in music-leaf turners



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

JOHN OOLLIGOTT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELLEN S. GETOHELL AND SUSAN W. SANFORD, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSIC-LEAF TURNERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 181,771, dated September 5, 1876; application filed May 26, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GoLLIco'r'r, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet- Music Turners and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention consists in a music-leaf turner, in which the rack or desk has its central bar projected forward, so as to bring the music over the center of the circles described by the arms which carry the leaves, and secured to the desk, as hereinafter described, and it is intended to be used in connection with a piano or other instrument.

The nature of the invention in detail is described below.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the same provided with sheetmusic. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section of a portion of the invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a is the frame or box which supports the rack or desk I). This box a may be provided upon its under side with some soft material,

so as not to mar the piano or other instrument upon which it is placed. 1) is the center bar of the desk I), and projects somewhat forward, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. 0 is the spring-bar, which is placed upon the center of the open sheet of music, and holds it in place, as in Fig. 2. d, is a bar, extending across the box a from front to back, and through the front and back sides of the same. It is provided upon its inner edge with the racks e and e. f is a nearly upright shaft, pivoted upon the bottom of the box a, extending through the top, and then bending at right angles into the arm f. The shaft f is provided with gearing-g, which is acted upon by the rack e. k is a loose sleeve upon the shaft f. It is provided with the gearing n,

which is acted upon by the rack 6. Upon the sleeve is is fixed a collar, k, to which is attached the arm I. From the ends of the two arms f and I extend the bifurcated holders h h.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The sheet-music is spread open and the springbar 0 allowed to press against the center. A leaf is then placed within each holder h h, as in Fig. 2. Supposing the device to be in the position shown in Fig. l, I push the bar (I forward until the rack e, meshing into the gearing n, turns the sleeve k and collar 70. The arm l, which extends from the collar 70, swings round, carrying with it the holder h, thus turning the leaf which it clasps. By pushing or pulling the bar d still farther forward the rack e acts upon the gearing g, thus turning the shaft f, and swinging the arm f round, carrying with it the holder h. and consequently another leaf of the sheet-music.

It will be noticed, by referring to the drawings, that the center bar b is secured at top and bottom to the desk, and is made to projcct or bulge forward from the same, so that the center of the music, i. 6., that portion upon which the spring-bar 0 lies, is directly over the'center of the circle described by the swinging armsf I. It will also be seen that the said armsf 1 swing from the same center. By these means the music is kept flat and smooth while it is carried back and forth by the turner.

This is an important point, as, if the two arms swingfrom different centers, even though they were very near each other, the holders would take up more paper on one side than the other. Of course additional holders could be arranged by providing additional sleeves.

Having thus fully described my invention, I do not claim, broadly, the placing of the center bar of a rack over the common center of the circles described by the swinging arms f and I, nor do I claim the swinging arms as new when placed in such position; but

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a music-leaf turner, the center bar b,

projecting forward froni the desk b, so as to of the above claim; the bar 01, racks e e, and bring it over the center upon which the leafgeared leaf-turning arms f l, substantially as turning arms f I turn, and secured to said and for the purpose set forth.

desk at top and bottom, constructed and ar- JOHN GOLLIOOTT. ranged to operate substantially as and for the Witnesses: purpose set forth. HENRY W. WILLIAMs,

2. In combination ith the subject-matter R. A. GEORGE. 

